ASA Tech Tips & News for December 10, 2021

One more week until a much deserved break for teachers and many of our staff members! In addition to the two cautionary tales in this issue are several resources for your classroom and a chromebook camera tip - chromebooks can be handy scanners now. I know there are some classes who can certainly make use of the noise meter tip, when your students are riled up and rambunctious. Merry Christmas! With Christmas in mind, the text scams and fake emails have definitely increased. Be sure you know how to spot them so you don't fall victim. I hope you are able to enjoy this last crazy week before break...you're almost there!

• How to Spot Any Spoofed & Fake Email (Ultimate Guide)
• How to Spot a Text Message Scam
• Your Chromebook's Camera is Now a Document Scanner
• SpinnerWheel - A Great Random Name, Number and Word Picker
• Classroomscreen - Timers, Noise Meters and Random Names for Repeated Use
• 8 Googley Winter Activities
• How to Maximize Space in Google Slides for Manipulative Drag and Drop Activities
• 10 Low-Prep, High-Return Activities for Class TOMORROW
• 25 Cool Winter Videos for Kids to Watch on Snowy Days
• Ditch That Textbook Digital Summit 12/13/21-1/7/22

How to Spot Any Spoofed & Fake Email (Ultimate Guide)

How to Spot a Text Message Scam

How to Spot a Text Message Scam, from How-To Geek by Tim Brookes

I know I've seen a dramatic uptick in Smishing messages on my phone. We all need to be just as suspicious of texts as we are with emails. 

Your Chromebook's Camera is Now a Document Scanner

Your Chromebook's Camera is Now a Document Scanner, from How-To Geek by Dave LeClair

The next time you need to scan a document, no need to walk to the nearest copier, just use one of the chromebooks in your classroom. 

SpinnerWheel - A Great Random Name, Number and Word Picker

SpinnerWheel - A Great Random Name, Number and Word Picker, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne

Not only will SpinnerWheel allow you to customize names numbers, images and sound efects, but you can also run several SpinnerWheels at once for randomly picking groups. or multiple numbers. There's an instructional video in the post.

Classroomscreen - Timers, Noise Meters and Random Names for Repeated Use

Keep all the tools on one handy home screen to use over and over. Did I mention...it's free!

8 Googley Winter Activities

8 Googley Winter Activities, from Control Alt Achieve by Eric Curts

These activities run the gamut of age ranges and skills to practice, such as tech, math and writing. Templates are provided to get you started. 

How to Maximize Space in Google Slides for Manipulative Drag and Drop Activities

How to Maximize Space in Google Slides for Manipulative Drag and Drop Activities, from Control Alt Achieve by Eric Curts

In other words, how to get rid of the film strip in the left column, the speaker notes at the bottom and the menu at the top. 

10 Low-Prep, High-Return Activities for Class TOMORROW

10 Low-Prep, High-Return Activities for Class TOMORROW, from Ditch That Textbook by Matt Miller

Use these when you are out of ideas, when you have a little time to spare in the classroom, or tuck them away for when you suddenly lose your planning period. Surprise!

25 Cool Winter Videos for Kids to Watch on Snowy Days

25 Cool Winter Videos fir Kids to Watch on Snowy Days, from We Are Teachers by Kimmie Fink

Too cold for kids to go out for recess? No problem! There are videos to choose for all ages in this collection. Keep in mind, Google has blocked YouTube for students under the age of 18, so you'll either have to show the videos as a class, or embed the YouTube video in a Google Slide file. 

Ditch That Textbook Digital Summit 12/13/21-1/7/22

Looking for new ed tech ideas? There's an online conference for Teachers in December, called Ditch That Textbook Digital Summit. This year there will be nine video presentations from well-known presenters on topics related to tech and solid teaching and learning. You'll also have access to previous years sessions, so there will be over 80 sessions to choose from. Find out more here.